McAMS Yamaha head to the sixth round of the 2022 Bennetts British Superbike championship buoyed with confidence following their best weekend in the series at Brands Hatch.

The Raceways Motorcycles-run squad placed 1-2, took pole position and set the fastest lap in each of the three races with reigning champion Tarran Mackenzie taking two victories and team-mate Jason O’Halloran taking the other.

As the series hits its halfway point, Round 6 takes place at the super-fast Thruxton – the quickest circuit on the BSB calendar.

The Hampshire track holds precious memories for the team, who scored their first BSB 1-2 in the second race at Thruxton in 2021 with O’Halloran and Mackenzie. It was a special weekend for O’Halloran, who won all three races in commanding style.

After the stunning treble 1-2 at Brands Hatch, O’Halloran leads the overall BSB standings by 10 points and has a seven podium point advantage over closest rival Bradley Ray.

Mackenzie’s double victory hauled him into an all-important Showdown spot, he currently sits eighth overall with 105 points.

Thruxton will also mark the team returning to full force, with Edwards 1902 Yamaha’s Tim Neave looking to return to action in the Pirelli National Superstock Championship this weekend. Neave missed the last two rounds after sustaining pelvic injuries in an accident at the team’s Knockhill test at the start of June.

The Lincolnshire rider underwent a shakedown test at Cadwell Park on Tuesday and felt good on his Edwards 1902 R1. He will need to pass a medical assessment at the circuit before taking to the track in FP1. Despite missing two rounds, he’s just 24 points off the championship lead, although the team emphasises there is no pressure or expectation as he returns from injury.

Jason O’Halloran   
Championship Pos: 1st (265 points)
“Thruxton was a really special weekend for us last year, winning all three races so I’m looking forward to getting back there after a strong weekend at Brands Hatch. It’s a very different kind of track that throws up unique challenges each year, and it looks like the temperature is going to be very high this weekend so that will be interesting. The aim is to keep building those podium points to put us in as strong a position as possible for later in the year.”

Tarran Mackenzie
Championship Pos: 8th (105 points)
“It felt like my 2022 season finally got going at Brands Hatch, so I want to keep that momentum heading into the next few rounds to make sure I keep hold of the Showdown position. Thruxton is a very unique track, fast and flowing very much unlike anything else on the calendar. We know the bike works well there, the team had their first 1-2 there with Jason and I last year, so fingers crossed it can be another successful weekend. The weather looks great and I’m looking forward to getting out there.”

Tim Neave
Edwards 1902 Yamaha
Championship Pos: 4th (105 points)
“I’m really looking forward to hopefully getting back on track this weekend. I rode at Cadwell on Tuesday and felt really good on the bike. We’ll take it session by session and see how we get on, the most important thing for me is getting some bike time as I’ve not ridden in two months. I have no expectations, I’m just looking forward to riding my R1 again!”

Steve Rodgers
Team Principal
“Thruxton was good to us last year, but it’s one of those tracks that often throws up a surprise so while we’re confident ahead of the weekend, this is BSB and anything can happen. Jason will be looking to further strengthen his position in the championship standings and race wins will no doubt be the aim for him, while Tarran will also be looking at consolidating his championship position to ensure he’s in that all-important top eight come the cut off point at Snetterton next month. It’ll be nice to have Tim back this weekend, but there’s absolutely no expectation or pressure on him in terms of results, we just want him to get some bike time.”